The heart of martial arts was by no means anything that was greatly loyal or virtuous – or even good. Whether it be living buddhas that brimmed with righteousness or demon sect leaders with dark intentions, the truth was that the heart of martial arts judged neither good nor evil. It only resolved to ask whether one had the determination to tread the rocky path.
Practicing martial arts was a daily struggle. One’s life would be filled with misery, danger, enticements; if one’s mentality was not firm then it was easy to fall from the path of a martial artist and give up, thus wasting all previous efforts.
Some people only practiced martial arts for wealth and sensual pleasures. In the heart of these people they practiced martial arts without truly understanding what it meant. This would not affect them during an early period of cultivation, but as would be an insurmountable roadblock later. The Pulse Condensation Period was enough for one to have a sumptuous and luxurious lifestyle where one could drown in money and beautiful women. Sky Fortune Kingdom had many such warriors. Because Sky Fortune Kingdom would handsomely reward those who reached the Pulse Condensation Period, there were those who would suffer untold hardships to attain this goal, only to halt their path of martial arts because they could not resist the temptation of extravagance.
The Dream Trial did not examine one’s cultivation; it perceived one’s determination and heart of martial arts. Lin Ming had complete confidence regarding this. Even if he had not obtained the mysterious Magic Cube, he believed he still had a 120% chance to pa*s.
At this time, more than half of the candidates had failed the first trial, so after they had left the field, the square was much more spacious.
Pitiful and sad Lin Xiaodong had already lost the qualifications to enter so he could only stay on the main road beyond the square.
Lin Ming turned around to look at Lin Xiaodong. Although there were many people in the crowd, he still saw him.
Lin Xiaodong also saw Lin Ming and he gave him a thumbs up. Lin Ming smiled. When he turned his head he saw a figure in the crowd that caught his eye. The girl wore a form fitting daffodil yellow dress. She looked to be an aristocratic junior with a top hat made of swan feathers. She stood in an obscure corner and observed everything.
Lin Ming recognized this girl. She was Lan Yunyue.
Lin Ming quickly turned his eyes from her. He knew that if they saw each other it would only increase Lan Yunyue’s embarrassment. It was better to have not seen at all…
In his heart Lin Ming had not blamed Lan Yunyue for anything. After all, there had only been a silent agreement between them, and they had not discussed marriage or anything like that to an extensive degree. Lan Yunyue had made the only choice that an ordinary girl could possibly make in her circumstances.
Lan Yunyue did not know that Lin Ming had already discovered her. Lan Yunyue had struggled in her heart for a long time as to whether to come here today or not. She did not want to see Lin Ming, but in her heart was a faint bit of worry, and she wanted to know whether or not he was well.
She could only remember back to two months ago when Lin Ming had been trying to sell several inferior and poor symbol papers. The scene in front of the shop had made her feel several points of pity.
Supporting one’s own martial arts without depending on a wealthy family background, he didn’t even have a particularly fearsome talent. He only had meager savings that he could use to rent a room, to buy a meal and some medicines. In these sad circumstances he could probably only afford iron thread grass, and perhaps even not that. And if so, then in his body he would have accumulated several internal injuries.
These thoughts caused Lan Yunyue distress. She liked his strength and his persistence. She remembered when she was a child; he had protected her from a large group of bullies. He had stood in front of her like a brave knight, arms spread wide, and taken the beatings. He had made her feel protected and safe.
But alas, such feelings were in the end unable to replace certain things…
She was an attractive girl and had the makings of an outstanding woman. Her natural talent was good and although she was not from an aristocratic family, her family was well off. Such a girl would inevitably have feelings of superiority, like a noble peac*ck confined to a playpen with chickens. She was unable to convince herself to settle in her ordinary life. A life where she would eventually marry Lin Ming and become the mistress of a family restaurant, a life where they would love each other and have little kids at twenty, and then he would gradually age and die, and she would be there by herself with even her looks having gone.
She did not want to have such a life. She did not!